Parents of Charlie Gard give up battle for experimental treatment

Attorney for the parents told High Court that doctors advised that there was no hope for recovery

A lawyer representing the parent of critically ill baby Charlie Gard said that the family has ended their legal battle to take him to the United States for treatment.

Grant Armstrong told Britain’s High Court that “time had run out” for the baby after American neurologist Dr. Michio Hirano informed the parents that MRI exams revealed that it would be too late to give him experimental therapy, according to a BBC report.

“The parents’ worst nightmare have been confirmed,” Armstrong said.

Charlie Gard suffers from a genetic mutation called encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, which leads to weakened muscles and organ dysfunction. According to the BBC report, the parents are now prepared to move the 11-month-old to palliative care.

The Gards had raised £1.3m in donations to take Charlie to the United States for treatment. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Charlie has been treated since October of 2016, received permission from the European Court of Human Rights in June to take Charlie off life support.

The case received attention worldwide, with Pope Francis and President Donald Trump voicing their support for Charlie’s parents.